MECHANISMS FOR MEETING DIVERSE NEEDS: DEVELOPING CURRICULUM USING THE UNDERSTANDING GLOBAL CHANGE FRAMEWORK AND THE SYSTEMS CONNECT PLANNING GUIDE

Two great benefits of NGSS are its emphasis on understanding global systems through interdisciplinary approaches, and on understanding the role and benefits of modeling. However, there are currently no common mechanisms for scientists, formal and informal educators, and community groups, to integrate diverse resources into curricula to meet the requirements of the NGSS. Further, even though there are effective Earth and space science educational modules, often they are not explicitly connected causally to other phenomena, nor do most fit easily into specific learning progressions. Here we outline the Systems Connect suite of resources, including the Understanding Global Change (UGC) framework and conceptual models from the University of California Museum of Paleontology (UCMP), and the Systems Connect Planning Guide, designed to support educators develop and sequence inquiry-based and experiential learning for informal and formal education.

Given that curriculum and assessment differs across schools and districts, we have designed our resources to be adaptable to maximize ease of adoption by educators. Specifically, the UGC framework and conceptual models and Systems Connect Planning Guide informs the flow of instruction for building conceptual links between topics in a unit/curriculum, while integrating real-world investigations and action. Thus, these methods for curriculum development are flexible and adaptable for any setting or subject area ensuring relevancy and responsiveness to academic standards, while providing inquiry-based investigations that incorporate authentic research and data.

Finally, integration of experiential learning and real-world connections into curricula is important for developing proficiency and a deeper understanding of content, replacing discrete, stand-alone experiences. Thus, rather than information being dispersed through individual activities, relying on students to make the connections, our resources have been designed to be explicit about those connections, thus fostering a deeper understanding by building the conceptual links between these topics, which is how fundamental knowledge about the Earth as a system is gained.